Manchester

Hi !
In our UK trip we are planning to make Liverpool our base ( know some folks there ! ) . Considering we have 5 days there to roam about , which places are do-able and affordable ? We were thinking of a 2 day driving holiday to Lake District , and day trips to Manchester, Blackpool , York etc. Whats your take on this plan ? Considering we wuld like to just limit the “castle” bit to one or two , what are the things that one can do in this part of England ? And for sure , if you feel that instead of doing day trips , making halts in these cities is preferred , pl let us know.